Tobias Harris

Tobias John Harris (born July 15, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball for the Tennessee Volunteers before declaring for the 2011 NBA draft where he was drafted 19th overall by the Charlotte Bobcats and then traded to the Milwaukee Bucks. Harris has also played for the Orlando Magic, the Detroit Pistons and the Los Angeles Clippers. Harris attended Half Hollow Hills High School West and joined the varsity basketball team as an eighth grader. He played at Half Hollow Hills West until 2008 when he transferred to Long Island Lutheran Middle and High School in Brookville, New York for his junior year. He then transferred back to Half Hollow Hills West for his senior year and went on to earn the 2010 Mr. New York Basketball. He was also named a 2010 McDonald's All-American.

College career

Harris played for the Tennessee Volunteers as a freshman in 2010–11 for coach Bruce Pearl. He played the point forward position, a mix between forward and point guard, in Pearl's offense. A USBWA Freshman All-America second-team selection and one of the nation's most consistent and versatile performers, Harris also was named second-team All-SEC by the league's head coaches and earned a spot on the SEC All-Freshman Team. He ranked fifth among all freshmen in the six major conferences with 15.3 points per game. In addition, his 7.3 rebounds per game ranked sixth among all major-conference freshmen.[1]

On May 9, 2011, Harris declared for the NBA draft, forgoing his final three years of college eligibility.[2]

Professional career

Milwaukee Bucks (2011–2013)

On June 23, 2011, Harris was selected with the 19th overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft by the Charlotte Bobcats. He was later traded to the Milwaukee Bucks on draft night.[3] On December 10, 2011, he signed his rookie scale contract with the Bucks.[4] Harris made his NBA debut on January 7, 2012 against the Los Angeles Clippers before tallying a team-high 15 points a night later against the Phoenix Suns on January 8. He appeared in 42 games during his rookie season (nine starts), averaging 5.0 points, 2.4 rebounds and 0.5 assists in 11.4 minutes per game.

On October 24, 2012, the Bucks exercised their third-year team option on Harris' rookie scale contract, extending the contract through the 2013–14 season.[5]

Orlando Magic (2013–2016)

Harris in December 2013

On February 21, 2013, Harris was traded, along with Doron Lamb and Beno Udrih, to the Orlando Magic in exchange for J. J. Redick, Gustavo Ayón and Ish Smith.[6] Harris' playing time saw a notable increase in Orlando, and his stats followed suit. Harris more than tripled his points per game average, and more than quadrupled his rebounds, assists and blocks per game.

On October 26, 2013, the Magic exercised their fourth-year team option on Harris' rookie scale contract, extending the contract through the 2014–15 season.[7]

On January 24, 2014, Harris recorded 28 points and a career-high 20 rebounds in a 114–105 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.[8] On March 2, 2014, he scored a career-high 31 points in a 92–81 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.[9]

On February 6, 2015, Harris set a new career high with 34 points in a 103–97 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.[10]

On July 14, 2015, Harris re-signed with the Magic to a four-year, $64 million contract.[11][12]

Detroit Pistons (2016–2018)

Harris in October 2017

On February 16, 2016, Harris was traded to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Ersan İlyasova and Brandon Jennings.[13][14] He made his debut for the Pistons three days later, scoring 21 points off the bench in a 98–86 loss to the Washington Wizards.[15][16] The Pistons finished the regular season as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference with a 44–38 record, earning a playoff berth for the first time since 2009. However, in their first-round series against the first-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers, the Pistons were swept 4–0.

On December 23, 2016, Harris came off the bench for the first time in 2016–17 and subsequently scored a season-high 26 points in a 119–113 loss to the Golden State Warriors.[17] On March 11, 2017, he set a new season high with 28 points in a 112–92 win over the New York Knicks.[18]

On October 25, 2017, Harris matched a career high with 34 points in a 122–101 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.[19] On November 13, 2017, he was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games played from Monday November 6 to Sunday November 12.[20] On December 26, 2017, he scored 21 of his 30 points in the first quarter of the Pistons' 107–83 win over the Indiana Pacers.[21]

On November 15, 2018, Harris scored 18 points in a 116–111 win over the San Antonio Spurs, thus scoring at least 15 points in a career-best 14 straight games.[26] On November 25, he had 34 points and 11 rebounds in a 104–100 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.[27] He was subsequently named Western Conference Player of the Week for games played Monday, November 19, through Sunday, November 25. It was his second career Player of the Week award.[28] He also earned Western Conference Player of the Month for October and November, the first career Player of the Month honor of his career.[29] On December 17, he scored a career-high 39 points in a 131–127 loss to the Trail Blazers.[30] On January 20, he had 27 points, nine rebounds and nine assists in a 103–95 win over the Spurs.[31]

College

Personal life

Harris has three brothers, Tyler, T.J. and Terry, and two sisters, Tori and Tesia. Tyler finished his collegiate basketball career at Auburn University,[34] while Terry currently plays basketball for Eastern Michigan University.[35] His sister, Tesia, played basketball at St. John's University in Queens, New York.[35] Fellow NBA player and former teammate Channing Frye is Harris' first cousin.[36][37]

With the Orlando Magic, Harris wore number 12 as a tribute to his close friend and former teammate Morgan Childs, who died at age 17 due to leukemia.[38]